I think I've evolved as a human.
I have never been to the circus but my fiance bought us tickets and so my first thought after it started was "I get it now. I see why people want to run away to the circus."
But then the first animal act came out. They were cute as pie puppers and they seemed to be having fun but I found myself not being able to fully enjoy the pups being precious.
Then out came the horses with much-too-heavy men riding on their backs and doing flips and jumping on and off and I found myself feeling some kind of way about it.
Then came the elephants. Now, I know elephants just have a naturally sad-looking face to any human who anthropomorphizes animals, but even so. It was a momma and her baby and they were put on those much-too-small stands and doing tricks and being cute. But by that time it was too late.
I never thought much about circus animals but I found myself that night just thinking about how the animals are treated to get them to do these wild tricks. Then somewhere I decided I didn't really care; these poor, sweet, precious babies were being forced into these strange and unnatural tricks and even if they were having fun, my mind wasn't allowing it.
I think I have evolved as a human because, seemingly out of nowhere, I cared so much about these animals I've never once spared a thought for. And it came so suddenly. I hadn't a single inkling of a suspicion I'd feel so strongly about seeing animals doing these things. It just happened.
At first I felt proud of myself for feeling so compassionately about the animals. Then I felt disgusted by myself for taking pride in a situation I was doing nothing to prevent. And I don't know what I'm doing from here, but damn, the circus was amazing otherwise. I see why people run away to join it.
